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Phone app alerts CPR-trained people to cardiac arrest cases

A new smartphone application alerts people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to nearby cardiac arrest cases, and a map of all public automated external defibrillators (AED).

These are among initiatives being introduced by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) as part of its efforts to leverage technology to respond faster to emergencies and save lives.

The CPR mobilisation app and defibrillators registry were unveiled at the SCDF Annual Workplan Seminar on Thursday, alongside other new tools, such as an unmanned firefighting and rescue vehicle, which also doubles as a forklift or bulldozer.

“Like all of our Home Team, we are challenged by the situation of tight labour within our workforce,” said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, who was speaking at the event held at the Institute of Technical Education College Central.

“We have to expand the capabilities of SCDF, not just through manpower expansion as demands on them grow, but also through innovation.”

The innovations by the “life-saving force” also extend to tapping full-time national servicemen as well as the wider community more.

The defibrillator registry, for instance, is being set up in partnership with the Singapore Heart Foundation, and SCDF will work with training centres to sign up people who are CPR-certified to build a critical mass for the phone app. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network